Are BSchool prospects really worth it?
Hi guys,
I might get heavily critized here, but why are you all looking to start your careers by working 90 hours a week?
Don't get me wrong, I'm currently studying in a top school that will ultimately lead me to work long hours during the first years, but my ultimate goal is also to enjoy life while I am still young. And this is actually a bit contradictory. Is this just an obsession with prestige that leads all of us to pay huge amounts on tuition and afterwards work in prestigious firms with a huge time-related opportunity cost? Time is imho the most scarce resource we have in our lives, so why do we want to spend all this time behind a desk although we are young and thereby usually still fit enough to do whatever we want? I mean, we could all get less prestigious jobs that pay less in absolute terms but leave us way more time to live. Why are we so blindly attracted by prestige no matter what?
Go ahead, destroy me with powerful and constructive arguments!
It usually depends on how insecure you are. Ivy league MBAs and brand name companies are like catnip to 'insecure overachievers'.
These are people who have been told their whole lives how smart and special they are so the ego is dependent on external validation.
I spent the years between (non-target) undergrad and MBA at a fairly relaxed, public sector facing job with mediocre pay and was able to enjoy my early twenties a lot. Don't regret it at all, I had tons of time for fun, hobbies, volunteering, etc., despite having to be pretty frugal, and now taking on MBA debt. I felt ready to buckle down and actually grind for a while, and finally make a worthwhile paycheck, when I went back for my MBA and change careers.
Time value of money. Choose to grind now so you don't have to grind later.
Also consider that the opportunity cost of your time at a young age is pretty low (instead of working late are you just going to go home and watch netflix or hit up the local happy hour?) but opportunity cost is huge later in life when you have kids. Imagine not being able to drop your kids off at school or watch their youth soccer games because you have an a-hole boss that controls your life.
I get your point here but this is clearly subjective. One could argue that the opportunity cost is high in the early twenties as well since it's the moment when you have the most freedom and flexibility to do whatever you want. Watching Netflix or getting a drink at the local bar are not the only things you can do; these are extreme cases. You could see this time frame as the last years to undertake the crazy projects you have ever thought of, before the family commitments show up.
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